Week of December 16th, 2019

Realtors said a cap on state and local tax deductions has hurt the high end of the market.

Plus: Chinese surveillance companies finding blacklist workarounds, new consumer spending numbers and why it’s still so hard to shop sustainably.

Trying to shop with the environment, worker rights or animal welfare in mind: It can be difficult to even know what the right thing is.

Joanne D’Antonio now teaches seniors how to navigate LA’s public transit system.

Blacklisted firms are still using essential components from the U.S., analysts and company statements suggest.

In many states, it’s the first holiday shopping season since they starting requiring online businesses to collect sales tax.

A Bankrate.com survey of 1,000 people across the country found only 49% of respondents got a raise in 2019.

Congress’s retirement overhaul incentivizes the use of annuities. The era of tax-free online purchases is over. You can thank the 10-year-old recession and bad weather for your expensive Christmas tree.

Congress tries to make saving for retirement easier. Half of Americans didn’t get a raise this year. Updating the “Gospel of Wealth” to address modern inequality.

What’s in the new governor’s inbox? The city of Macau looks to develop beyond its famous casino industry.

“We’re getting a distorted capitalism that does not produce shared prosperity,” says Walker.

The element is key in making lithium-ion batteries. “This is the first time that tech companies have been on the hook for this,” says Roger Cheng of CNET.

The central bank made a policy U-turn in 2019, cutting interest rates. Neel Kashkari says that’s a good thing.

Plus: the economics of tangerine season, chat bots that can “yes and” and a conversation with Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari.

Tech companies are hiring entertainers to make their chatbots nimble and witty.

Well, it depends on what sort of job is looking for them.

Marydean Purves brought her international work experience into a new realm.

How an expensive specialty fruit for the holidays turn into a ubiquitous discount grocery staple year-round.

Why were some states hit harder than others? New research builds upon our reporting to connect the dots between drug regulations and marketing.

How do you keep a store with a long off season in business? Make it more than a place to shop.

Businesses have been waiting for the updated version of the North American Free Trade Agreement.

There’s hasn’t been in increase in seniors in nursing homes, either.

Investors seem unperturbed by impeachment proceedings. It looks like Congress will approve the “New NAFTA,” despite the drama. Amazon and UPS are among the companies diversifying into scooters for deliveries.

Increasing demand for faster deliveries is part of what’s driving companies to experiment.

Some members of Congress want to include more funding for election security in the next federal spending bill, due on Dec. 20.

More seniors are living at home. Instagram cracks down on advertising of tobacco, alcohol and weapons. The money allocated by Congress to protect elections might not be enough to prevent hacking.

Sweden’s central bank ends its experiment with negative interest rates. A high-speed trading issue at the Bank of England. How political upheaval is affecting the economy in Bolivia.

Think before you share on social media, says Leah Plunkett of Harvard. Today’s kids have a digital history they didn’t choose and can’t escape.

It can save time and clear your mind … or send you down an e-commerce rabbit hole.

Plus: The latest consumer price index numbers, FedEx’s “horrific” earnings and a conversation with the CEO of the nation’s second-largest charity.

Fiat Chrysler and the maker of Peugeot agreed to a $50 billion merger designed to drive investment in electronics and computing.

In 2017, Detroit became the only city in the U.S. with more than one vinyl presser. It’s good timing.

FedEx reported weaker than expected earnings for the most recent quarter.

CEO Claire Babineaux-Fontenot talks about how she uses her background in corporate finance to run the country’s second largest nonprofit.

China’s statistics show 3.8 million manufacturing jobs disappeared from urban areas last year.

This holiday season, we’re following several retailers from the end of November to the start of the New Year. This is part two of our series.

Investors seem unbothered by Wednesday’s slated impeachment vote. Fiat Chrysler and Peugeot have approved their giant merger. Civil unrest in Chile is bringing some businesses to the brink of closing.

Lawmakers are afraid the technologies could be used by the Chinese government for spying.

The inventor of one of the most popular novelty toys looks back.

Fiat Chrysler and Peugeot approve their giant merger. Congress continues its blacklisting of Chinese tech. The man responsible for bringing Big Mouth Billy Bass to life.

PSA and Fiat Chrysler officially sign off on their merger. The Bank of England is set to test U.K. banks and insurance companies on their possible exposure to climate change risks. After two months of street protests, many businesses in Chile are teetering on the brink of collapse. 

“Optimizing for ease … leads you to a breaking point,” says user-experience designer Cliff Kuang.

We go beyond heavy hitters like Beyond and Impossible to talk about the whole meat replacement industry. There will be bugs.

About 1%, it turns out. Plus: more stories of how we shop and a look at the California students turning to Mexico for affordable education.

Analysts predict Boeing’s planned production halt of its embattled 737 Max plane could slow GDP growth next year.

As tuition and the cost of housing rises, one university in Mexico is looking to provide a cheaper alternative.

“I’m realizing I don’t even know what I don’t know,” said Janet Johnson, 63.

How will the Phase I trade deal between the U.S. and China be enforced? A company crowdfunds student loan repayment. Why American free markets might not actually be so free.

NYU finance professor Thomas Philippon argues that U.S. markets are no longer as free and competitive as they were a few decades ago.

Pillar lets friends and relatives make student loan payments as a holiday gift.

Boeing will halt production of its troubled 737 MAX planes. Chinese President Xi Jinping floats Macau as an alternative to Hong Kong. The season’s hottest toys capitalize on the element of surprise.

Shares in Boeing suppliers are under pressure. Pension protest in France have caused hospital and school closures as well as a record-breaking traffic jam in Paris. A legendary British rock star’s guitar goes up for auction in London.

These popular toys bring with them something of a snag.

“Beijing is making it clear that well-behaved territories will get carrots and unruly territories are going to get sticks,” one observer said.

Jessica Lee, co-chair of the privacy, security and data innovations practice at Loeb & Loeb, helps explain the new law.

More stories from Iowa farms dealing with the trade war today. Plus: Boeing will halt production on the 737 Max, and Uber is giving California drivers a bit more rider info.

As Uber prepares to prove its California drivers are independent contractors, it says it’s giving them more independence.

The aircraft maker has continued to pump out the beleaguered planes, even though it can’t deliver them.

Huawei’s “plan B” seems to be working. It’s on track to make $100 billion this year.

9-8-8 could soon get people in touch with suicide prevention resources.

Mexico says it was blindsided by the USMCA’s labor stipulations. The FCC wants to designate 9-8-8 as the national suicide prevention hotline. Chinese tech giant Huawei is thriving despite being blacklisted by the U.S. 

Look out for “growth centers.”

The U.S. and China have reached a “Phase I” trade deal, but details are scarce. It’s been a lackluster year for U.S. manufacturing. Assessing the value of economic “growth centers.”

Markets gain on China-U.S. trade deal hopes. U.K. movie theater chain Cineworld is set to take over Cineplex of Canada. Local concerns at the upgrading of a cruise ship port in the Cayman Islands.

Job creation in manufacturing slowed from a boom to a trickle in 2019.

Which is why NASA and JPL are studying the plumes of wildfires to see how it affects our health.